To the capital! [2]

'Why are there so many soldiers patrolling? Or is this just how the capital always is?'

Sneakily flying around Kuul, I was met by quite a disturbing sight; Almost every large street had armed soldiers patrolling, all dressed in heavy armor and looking grim. It was no rare sight to see them kick a beggar or act indecently towards young girls.

Seeing them walk around the muddy streets made it pretty easy to come up with two different explanations. Either the capital was so infused with its military culture that this was an everyday thing, or, they were having some kind of silent arms race, making sure to purge Kuul from any suspicious intruders before letting reaching out externally.

Nonetheless, it made my journey slightly harder. Thankfully, I had a pretty good plan already, or at least, I'd like to think I did. However, for this to work, I needed to meet the demon behind everything first.

'So, where do I start? If it follows the story of the game, she should be by the king's side most of the time, and I don't think I can just waltz right in. Or, maybe I can?'

If a raven could smile, I was sure the edges of my mouth would be raised to its limits right now, as I realized just how potent my Skills were.

****

[Sophie's Pov]

"Come on, Red! Get it together already! It's been months now! And you still haven't made any real progress! Get your head out of that gutter!"

"Huff...huff... I'm sorry..."

Yet another sparring session had ended in me disappointing my instructor, who was now so frustrated with my performance that he couldn't help but stomp the ground. Even though he had tried his best to bear with me for all of the months that had passed since James disappeared, his patience had begun to reach its limits.

"Damnit Red! I understand that you might be upset, but you are a student of Ainu! This is not only hurting yourself, but you are disrespecting the entire academy by acting like a fool!"

In my head, I knew he was right. Even if James was gone, there was no reason for me not to do my best, to make as much progress as I possibly could. However, it wasn't that easy.

Something inside me was screaming at me every minute of every day, telling me that something wasn't right, that one of my own had gotten taken from me unjustifiably. I also consciously knew that the only way for me to get him back, I would have to become a lot stronger.

Sadly, even though I understood my situation, changing one's mindset and emotional state wasn't that easy. This wasn't even fully about James anymore, it was about my view of this world having changed completely.

It was hard to recognize that my struggles on Tella wouldn't just be the war between the united races and the demons. Behind the scenes there were a lot of things going on, things I couldn't control or affect, where the more powerful people played their games of chess.

Added to all of that, I still couldn't make myself feel as if the united races didn't want the best outcome to happen. There must have been a reason why James got executed, even if I couldn't ever agree with it.

Then there was the last answer. That James had truly become a demon or summoned a demon in his body, or whatever the different theses that circulated media stated.

Finally, Mr. Brown concluded our session, still with a grumpy expression on his big face, "Red, if you don't get your shit together, I won't let you come with us on the excursion to Kurat. After this weekend, I want you to show me that you won't be a danger to your classmates. Dismissed."

==========

"Mr. Brown is right, you know? No matter what, there is no reason for you not to focus on getting stronger, even more so if you want a chance of meeting James again."

Lying in bed with my now boyfriend, he was speaking words of reason as always. During our time at the academy, he was the one who had, by far, matured the most. From the weakling who didn't dare to stand on his own legs, to now having become the strongest and most dependable student at Ainu.

Where I had completely lost any and all motivation to keep training and growing stronger, he had taken the incident with James as yet another initiative to improve. As a result, he had cemented his position as , at least in the context of pure combat, the number one student in our combined classes.

The look on Sebastian's face had been priceless when he was defeated by the hero, not even having had him in his sights at the beginning of the school year. It was a complete story of the underdog rising up, overcoming all of the obstacles in his way.

Although I was trying my best to move on, it was still hard. Leaning my head on the bare chest of my lover, every single fraction of me was thankful that he was by my side, "I know. I just don't know how... Meditation doesn't work for me, and neither does physical training. I'm beginning to think that I can only grow stronger by fighting, and I just can't get motivated for it anymore."

Stroking my now short pink hair, his gentle tone remained, "Well, maybe you need to stop thinking that you are supposed to fix his situation. No matter what happened, and who was behind it, you are not supposed to fix someone else's life. I know that I wouldn't want you to do it for me, so I'm a hundred percent sure that if James didn't become a demon, he wouldn't either. He is living his life, and you should be living yours."

Something clicked inside of me, as he spoke the words I truly needed to hear. I had no idea what made me feel as if James had been something that belonged to me, but the reality was that he didn't. Even if the voice inside of me wanted to convince me that it was the case, that I somehow had the right to keep him by my side, that was just not the case.

Letting out a slight smile, I looked up at my hero, feeling as if he had miraculously given me a chance to move forward, although it might take a long time. "Thank you, and I love you."

"I love you too."

Leaning his head forward, our lips met, and our now frequent physical reunion was now imminent.

****

[James's Pov]

"How long are you going to stay here?! It's been months already! Don't you have something better to do?!"

Sitting in the now very familiar armchair, the otherworldly beauty couldn't help herself from once again complaining, as she had done so many times before.

The room we were in was adorned with a multitude of luxuries. From the bedcover made from the highest quality silk to the silver dressing table, accompanied by a huge mirror to help the woman do her makeup.

Not that it was needed. The woman with hair in the color of a ruby had a beauty that needed no enhancements. From her fair skin, completely devoid of any blemishes, to her balanced face, with her big dark eyes and puffy lips.

To top it off, she had physical dimensions that even Sophie couldn't rival, with her chest and bottom seeming almost endless, while still looking somewhat proportionate to her body. Hands down, she was the most seductive looking woman I had ever laid eyes on, even putting Sarah to shame.

However...

"Calm down, Erzal. I've already told you, didn't I? I will leave when I am done here. Until then, you will have to bear with me. Oh, that reminds me! Did you get your hands on that essence I asked for? I have already emptied the others."

Yes, the woman in front of me was the demoness Erzal, queen of the succubus race that served the demon lord. Although I greatly appreciated her company, she didn't seem to feel the same way about me.

*BAM!*

Stomping her foot into the ground, her lovelies shook so immensely that I almost thought they would rip right through her elegant red dress. "What do you mean they have run out?! You got them just last week! How did you absorb them already?!"

Shrugging my shoulders, I dismissed her silly tantrum, "Well, you know, I'm a growing boy? Anyway, please do make sure I get my hands on them as soon as possible. It shouldn't be too hard for you to convince the king by spending a night with him or something."

*BAM!*

Stomping loudly once more, her face got almost as red as her hair, "YOU KNOW THAT I HAVEN'T LET HIM PUT HIS HANDS ON ME! MY BODY IS FOR MY LORD ONLY! Shit! I should have never made that contract with you!"

I pouted a bit, feeling hurt that she didn't enjoy our relationship as much as I did.

"Don't say that... Don't you remember the good times we had? Ahh... I remember it as if it was yesterday..."